Do NOT eat this, found here, for a healthy start to your day.
I gritted my teeth and stepped on the scale this morning. With my eyes open, even.
Yowsers.
I could tell that things were, um....well, let's just say that I suspected that my BMI had increased considerably since April and that whatever-it-was-that-took-me-out-at-the-knees incident. And I was right. Hoo, boy. I'm the type of person for whom the term "comfort food" was invented, and I have definitely been comforting myself during this rather uncomfortable spring and summer.
Oh, yeah. I've been comforting myself like crazy with stuff like lemon meringue pie or chocolate frozen custard. Mmmmm. The treats seem so delightful going down and while I blissfully pat my tummy afterwards, but after two or three months worth of indulgence, it's easier to pat my tummy since there's lots more of it. Rats.
I think my treat-seeking behaviors begin as soon as I open my eyes in the morning, because mornings are HARD.
I don't need to tell y'all that. You know how it is.
But as I hobble my way to the kitchen in the morning trying not to actually use my FEET to walk (now there's an interesting maneuver) because they're as crabby as the rest of me, my day right from the get-go finds me needing to comfort myself with breakfast.
Truth be told, I'd just as soon slug down some juice with my pills and call it a meal, but having tried that more times than I care to recall and having dealt with the effects of pills on an empty stomach I have learned my lesson. If I want to take my pills (and I really don't but that's another topic entirely) without feeling barfy, then I have to just eat some breakfast.
And, because just getting dressed and moving this old body of mine down a flight of stairs takes enough energy that my brain shuts down, I grab whatever is easy and --- all together, now: comforting.
WAH WAH WAH.
I don't even want to begin to discuss my comforting habits for the rest of the day. But I'm thinking that if I could just start myself out with a tasty and healthy breakfast, things could only get better in the BMI department, don't y'all think?
So. There's the question, finally, after all these paragraphs of grumbling: What kinds of breakfast foods are 1) comforting, 2) healthy, 3) so easy to prepare that I can successfully get the food to my mouth even when I'm living in a total Julia la-la-land, and 4) don't include items that can be purchased at a Krispy Kreme doughnut shop?
I suppose I should also discourage the inclusion of home made banana buttermilk cake with cream cheese icing in my healthy breakfast foods list.
What are your favorite healthy, anti-inflammatory, and easy to make breakfast foods?
9 comments:
Cabot Vanilla Bean Greek Yogurt with fresh strawberries and blueberries. I can get both almost year round. It's sweet and delicious and I believe that eating blueberries every day could be helping me. It is expensive sometimes during the year, but when I mentioned this to my Mom she said, "Oh,so you're not willing to spend money on your health?"
oatmeal has a good "mouth feel", and can be doctored up with fruits or brown sugar. And very good for the tummy and helping build a cushion for the incoming pills.
smoothies.
Frozen breakfast sandwiches - the ones with turkey sausage are tasty, filling and not too high in fat. Especially if you don't do the ones with cheese.
omelette. variations are endless.
Sadly, due to a crazy diet for IBS that I'm trying, I can have none of the above - right now my breakfasts are GF bread and a small piece of chicken, or rice and leftover meat from supper. Not really satisfying.
0% Total Greek-style yoghurt, handful of porridge oats with added bran & chopped banana.
I sometimes prepare oatmeal the night before in a small slow cooker. I try to have hard booked eggs on hand for breakfast or lunch. I usually feel better if I have some protein in the morning.
Have you ever tried an elimination diet to see if you are sensitive to any foods that might exacerbate your auto-immune symptoms? I've done that and had allergy testing, blood tests, etc.
I usually eat cereal (gluten free rice or corn cereals) with 1/2 a banana or toast with some kind of nut butter or a piece of cheese, or in the colder months, oatmeal is my go-to breakfast of choice. It's easy on the stomach, easy to prepare and good for you. Smoothies and yogurts are great for you and easy on the digestion.
Now for the bad news...I've managed to gain 20-25 lbs since last year!!!! I am eating more variety of foods like tasting gluten free ice cream, breads, some pasta(once a week). I guess starving is a better option to keep my girlish figure and lose these pounds, especially since I've been feeling like one big tired flare for months and don't feel like moving much.
Good luck I hope you'll have an easier time of it in the am.BTW, thanks a bunch. You HAD to make me look up that recipe for that banana cake!!☺
Oh, Julia, I feel your pain - literally. I am a "comfort" food person. I just sent my oldest off to a trade school 14 hours away from home, and I have been emotionally eating since June, on top of what I already did for the same reasons as you. And I got brave and looked at the scale, too. Yikes. I wonder if a small (very small?) breakfast burrito would work? I too seem to do better with protein in the morning.
Ensure Complete. I have laryngopharyngeal reflux - Silent Reflux. That's a pretty good description of SS digestion. I've lost 10 lbs. Mornings can be barf city. I'm not hungry. Since I have been diagnosed, I have been on a glorified Brat diet. I picked up a new cookbook, Dropping Acid. I think that cake is on my diet. Please do send it to Julia. Meals are all, spread throughout the day. No soda anymore. None. I used to drink up to 8 sparkling waters a day.
Remember the swimming pool Julia?
In winter months, it's porridge every day: so easy and so tasty! I make it with whole oats, natural raisins, chia seeds and LSA mix and sprinkle it with Brazil nuts (for selenium to help my failing thyroid gland). It takes all of 2 minutes to make and keeps the whole family full until lunch time.
In summer months, it's Bircher muesli. Much the same mix as porridge, plus some grated apple, berries and (non-sweetened) flaked coconut and pumpkin seeds. I make up a big mix of the dry ingredients and soak some overnight in the fridge in rice milk - enough for a couple of days at a time. Then we eat it with a dollop of natural yoghurt on top.
Quinoa, buckwheat or brown rice flakes make a good substitute for oats if you are strictly wanting to avoid gluten or gluten-like proteins (which may be pro-inflammatory for some people).
Winter or summer, we always add cinnamon to help stabilize blood sugar levels and keep us feeling fuller for longer. And there is definitely no need to add sugar.
We all wake up looking forward to these breakfasts every day - and they have saved us a fortune in packaged cereals. I simply can't imagine eating a packaged cereal ever again. I feel good knowing that I am sending hubby and kids to work with this powerhouse in their tummies!
Would love to have the recipe!
Post a Comment